Shelby du Pont
Shelby du Pont, current alias Shelby White, is the second youngest child of the prominent du Pont corporate family, one of five major houses of Castilia. Shelby was granted the title of Marquis at the age of ten, a common practice of Castilian aristocracy despite the titles holding little real value aside from prestige. Fearful of becoming a pawn to his family or falling victim to rivals, Shelby fled Castilia at the age of eighteen under disguise in hopes of escape. However, Castilian noble expatriates are highly valued by the corporate families and are often targeted for kidnapping. All major families, including two private security firms, are in search of Shelby du Pont. Shelby is currently still disguised as a girl to avoid attention and evade capture. Life on Castilia & Family The du Pont family is the second richest of Castilia. Even those who were born into the minor families lived extravagantly, and to grow up in one of the major five families is to live in ultimate luxury. Servants were at his command from the moment he could speak. There was never a lack of entertainment, food, or a distraction to occupy him. The corporate aristocracy of Castilia ensured that Shelby had near limitless roam on the planet, even within the territory of the other major houses. He has four other siblings - two older sisters, an older brother, and a younger sister. It is common for the families to have numerous children, and it is expected that his mother, Sandra du Pont, to have more children before she is too old. His father is Louis du Pont, who is the current secretary for the Council of Executives. This role places him just under the Chairman. His oldest sister and brother are already in important positions in the family's corporate network, while his other older sister has been married off for diplomatic and business purposes. It was expected that Shelby, too, would be married off. Shelby was enrolled at the Nova Solus Institute, the top educational academy on the planet and in the system. It was a private school for the aristocratic families of Castilia and taught students for their entire school career. From kindergarten to the fourth year at a university level, the Institute ensured that students received the best possible education, training, and skill development. On the Run Shelby enjoyed his life for the most part - after all, the hiccups and annoyances weren't much compared to living as royalty. However, life lacked a distinct realness to it. Most of his friends weren't his friends by choice, or because they particularly liked him, but because they were forced to be around him or otherwise desired the benefit of being near to him. He had plenty of entertainment, though his place in life had seemingly already been decided before he was born. His petitions to his father to change that were denied and he found little sympathy from the others in his family. A string of high-profile murders and kidnappings occurred across Castilia when he was fifteen. This tightened security within the families, and limited the ability for Shelby to move around as freely as he had before. His growing unhappiness was now marked with fear. He began to realize that he was growing up to live in a world of corporate espionage, targeted killings, and kidnappings. The more illegal activity was generally avoided on Castilia between the families, but the moment a noble stepped off-world, they were fair game. At seventeen, Shelby was informed of his pending arranged marriage with the daughter of an important arms manufacturer. The nature of the arrangement meant that Shelby was to simply live as a husband, provide children, and otherwise live in luxury with little influence or meaning. There was no room for growth or to otherwise... live. Shortly afterwards, he made plans to escape the planet. Knowing that surveillance and security was too high at the spaceport, and that the gene-readers would identify him, Shelby disguised himself as a girl and charmed his way onboard a cruise ship as a stowaway. He packed light and retained a small undisclosed credit line for funds, but he knew he would be hunted. He has kept a low profile since he fled and eventually came into contact with pirates, who he judged to be safer company to be apart of as he had some of the most ruthless and expensive corporate goons after him. Category:Characters Category:Sails